Loch Sunday 26^th August, 2007

Suzuki GSXR600	Dave Ward	Yamaha R1	Darran Porch (2^nd ride)
Suzuki GSXR600	Mick Can (1^st ride)	Honda CBR954	Ben Warden (2^nd Leader)
Suzuki GSXR1000	Cameron Stevens	Honda CBR1000RR	Paul Southwell (1^st Leader)
Suzuki GSXR1000	Chris Pointon	Honda CBR1000RR	Paul Stavrakas
Suzuki GSXR1000	Mark Rigsby (Rear)	Honda VT1000	Jim Corbic (3^rd ride)
Suzuki GSXR1000	Lyn Duncan	Honda Blackbird	Paul Punicki
Suzuki GSXR750	James Melford	Honda CBR929	Mirko Strasser
Suzuki SV650	Tim Emons	KTM 950 Adventurer	Peter Hill
Suzuki GS1250	Andrew Wickes (1^st ride)	Ducati 999	Alan Hendersen (1^st ride)
Yamaha TRX850	Tony Raditsis	Kawasaki ZX6	Paul Hendriksen (1^st ride)
Yamaha R1	Peter Jones	Kawasaki ZX10	Damian Markovic (2^nd ride)

There are the seasonal factors to deal with when riding bikes – cold in winter, warmer in spring – or is it endless flat tyres in winter and running out of petrol in spring (hope this is not a trend)???

The day I try to help out our illustrious Club Secretary to record names, type of bikes and ICE contact details, 22 riders show up to challenge my admin skills! And not even a great BBQ at Geoff Jones place at the end as an added attraction! What a great roll up: plenty of new faces and a great mix of bikes and riders. I nominated myself as rear rider.

Leader, Paul Southwell, gave us the pre-ride brief and explained the Corner Marking System for the newcomers. Then we set off from Berwick to first stop at Loch via Drouin, Ranceby and Poowong. The weather was cool and overcast, the roads wet but drying. The forecast was for a 21 degree day with clearing skies. I took it pretty easy on this stretch as the roads were a combination of wet and dry with the rear tyre slipping out a few times gassing the bike out of corners.

At Drouin, as I was approaching the corner markers at a turn point, I noticed a new rider who I had not seen at the start of the ride. I soon realised it was Lyn Duncan who had ridden up from Stratford with Peter Hill to join the ride – 20 riders plus 2 makes 22! The ride to Loch was uneventful but it was great to be out riding for the day.

We stopped in Loch for morning tea and fuel. As I was standing in line in the café waiting patiently to order, an ancient looking bushy walked in and gave us a good looking up and down with what looked like a resentful, “Who are these city slicker bikie scum?” stare. I gave him a broad smile and said “G’day!” and his face lit up and I got a big, toothy “G’day” back. Maybe it was a hill billy connection thing, after all I am from Kentucky! Ben took the usual group photo in front of the cafe, 3 rows to fit us all in!

On to Korumburra, roads now drying out allowing nice, swift riding. Shortly after leaving Loch, the first of several petrol shortages started. As I came up to the corner markers, Alan on the 999 indicated he was low on petrol so he decided to head back to fill up. I proceeded to the next corner and allowed the waiting riders to continue. I asked Tim (thanks Tim) to act as rear rider until Alan and I caught up. After 15 minutes or so, Alan came back and we flew into Korumburra for fuel and lunch.

I haven’t been on many rides in the last year due to other commitments and so I was impressed by the new café overlooking the carpark in front of the public toilets. Last time I was in Korumburra the café was not there! By this time the weather had warmed up and the roads had dried completely. We headed off for Hill End and Noojee via Warragul.

About 10 minutes out of Korumburra I was setting up to go around a left hand bend when my attention was attracted by twenty-one bikes parked or stopping on both sides of the road. One titanium coloured Fireblade was parked down the embankment on its back. Paul had come around the corner a tad fast, hit a pothole, lost the front end and gone over the embankment, the bike landing on a barbed wire fence. With plenty of help on hand, the Blade was dragged back up to the road and restarted. Paul was ok: shaken but not stirred. The bike sustained major cosmetic damage but Paul managed to ride home with some assistance from Dave Ward. We regrouped with Ben now leading. Lyn, Peter and Dave (thanks to all) remained behind to help Paul get home. Lyn and Pete eventually followed the same route as the main group but when we reached the end of the Old Sale Road they continued on to Stratford and home.

No clutch lever made getting going from a standstill awkward. Pete’s idea of using the starter motor to get going may work for light dirt bikes or old, low compression BMWs but failed dismally on the modern, high compression multi. Lots of pushing was required. After initially getting going and riding all the way into the city, Dave ended up pushing Paul a couple of times at the lights and then returning to his bike and trying to get away before they changed. Lucky he is young and fit. As the Ward residence was closer (fewer lights) they headed there and then trailered the bike home. Bronwyn was in the mix here – on the scooter.

As to the damage, one person’s “major” is another person’s “minor”. A couple of fairing panels and a lever and it will clean up nicely. The barb wire scratches to the swingarm are more problematic.

Paul, lest we forget, hobbled away from the accident. His ankle was in ice when I last spoke to him, with possible ligament damage based on the swelling. He wreckons he will be fine. Ed.

I love the run through to Hill End and Noojee, fast and flowing in places and quite technical in others. Somewhere near Fumina I felt a sudden severe pain in my right foot. At first I thought I had hit a low flying bird or maybe a small, unseen animal crossing the road. Then I remembered an article I read in the paper recently about a Japanese rider who clipped something while riding along a highway and it was not until some time later when he went to get off his bike that he realised he had cut off his leg below the knee. While contemplating this morbid thought, I was rudely awakened by a smell akin to cow dung. Ben told me later the smell was super phosphate as he had noticed it too. Bloody foot is still killing me but at least it is still attached.

Into Noojee for afternoon tea but no fuel as the petrol pump was dry, much to Peter Jones’ disappointment, his R1 on reserve. Lots of bikes in Noojee, everyone out on such a glorious day. The ride theoretically broke up at Noojee but everyone rode as a group to Yarra Junction via Powelltown. The ever ready Ben gave me a fuel hose in case Peter needed to siphon some fuel on the way to the Junction.

About 10 minutes out of Noojee, I noticed several bikes on the side of the road. Paul Punicki was out of fuel on his Blackbird. I siphoned 1.5 litres out of my bike to get him going. No fuel at Powelltown so on to Yarra Junction. Peter Jones was standing in the closed petrol station, having run dry and rolled the last few meters. Cameron was with him. We siphoned 1.5 litres out of Cameron’s bike to get Peter going again. Mid-way through siphoning fuel, Paul Stavrakas shows up wanting to borrow the hose! Alan’s 999 had run out of fuel one kilometre up the road! I left the hose with Paul and bade farewell, giving Alan a wave as I rode past him again – twice in one day! Spring, the season for running out of petrol. I hope not!

Thanks Paul and Ben for leading. Thanks to all who assisted dragging Paul’s bike up the embankment, and particularly Dave for pushing Paul at the lights later on. We hope to see Paul back on the road soon.

Mark Rigsby